This invention relates to improvements in vehicle door wiring systems.
Vehicle doors typically include a metal door frame and an interior trim panel attached to the door frame. A water and/or sound barrier is typically attached to either the door or trim panel, and sandwiched between the two. A wire harness is attached to either the door frame or the trim panel, and communicates electrical connections between components on the door, the trim panel, and also to controls and accessories remote from the door. In the prior art, an assembler has typically been required to complete the electrical connections between the door and its wire harness, or alternatively, between the wire harness and the trim panel, as the trim panel is moved to be mounted to the door frame. The door frame and trim panel must be relatively closely spaced to complete the electrical connections, and the worker must reach into the narrow space between the door frame and trim panel to make the connections. This is cumbersome, and inconvenient. Examples of the types of door structure and electrical connections that are utilized are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,842.
As more electrical components are mounted into the door, the assembly becomes even more inconvenient. In addition, the wire harnesses have become correspondingly complex and difficult to manufacture and assemble.
Systems have been proposed wherein plug-in electrical connections are completed as the trim panel is moved towards the door. While this would be beneficial in theory, the proposed systems have required exact alignment between the two electrical connectors, which is difficult to achieve. Thus, these systems have not proven practically successful.